Former IOC president Samaranch remains in ‘very serious condition’ in Barcelona hospital

Samaranch remains in ‘very serious condition’

BARCELONA, Spain — Former International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch remained in “very serious condition” Wednesday in an intensive care unit at a hospital in Barcelona.

The 89-year-old Spaniard, who was admitted on Sunday after experiencing heart trouble, showed no signs of improvement or deterioration overnight, Quiron Hospital spokesman Carlos Segui said.

Samaranch remained sedated and on a respirator. He was to undergo further tests on Wednesday.

Josep Lluis Vilaseca, a friend of Samaranch, said he had visited the former IOC chief and later spoke with doctors.

“They said it’s a critical situation,” said Vilaseca, a former sports secretary for the Catalan regional government. He said doctors said Samaranch had been in the same condition since Sunday.

Samaranch’s partner, Luisa Sallent, was at the hospital Wednesday but his son and daughter had yet to arrive.

Hospital chief of internal medicine Rafael Esteban had said Tuesday it was a good sign the former IOC head had survived 48 hours, but he was not optimistic about the chances of recovery.

“We cannot be optimistic because, at his age and with the chronic problems he has, one cannot be optimistic,” Esteban said.

Samaranch went into shock soon after being admitted with what was diagnosed as “acute coronary insufficiency.”

Esteban said Samaranch’s heart problems were unexpected as he had been “in good health. So good he was supposed to fly to Lausanne this week. Until Sunday he was in perfect health.” Samaranch had even visited a gym to exercise on Sunday morning.

Esteban said Samaranch could still recover all of his facilities if his condition turned around.

“If days pass and the situation improves, we can be more optimistic,” Esteban added.

Samaranch, who headed the IOC from 1980-2001, has been bothered by health problems in recent years.

He was hospitalized for 11 days in Switzerland in 2001 with “extreme fatigue” after returning from an IOC session in Moscow, where Jacques Rogge was elected as his successor.

He was also hospitalized shortly afterward in Barcelona for what was described as high blood pressure. He has received regular dialysis treatment for kidney trouble.

Samaranch spent two days in a hospital in Madrid in 2007 after a dizzy spell, and underwent hospital checks in Monaco in October after feeling ill at a sports conference.

Samaranch retired as the second-longest serving president in the history of the IOC.